Complex Pain in Children and Adolescents Masterclass

Lecture: Complex Pain in Children and Adolescents Masterclass

This is a combined lecture of the Paediatric and Pain Group
Have you ever questioned if a patient's pain is real? How do you explain why pain persists to a child? What do you do when a patient's progress is reversed by a debilitating pain flare-up? How do you know when referral to a Psychologist and/or Pain Clinic is required? This Masterclass on paediatric persistent pain will explore answers to these questions and more.

We will present an update on:

Why pain persists in children and adolescents

Key biopsychosocial factors that can contribute to the cause and/or maintenance of pain

Current understandings of common pain presentations such as functional pain and pain flare-ups

Evidence-based pain management strategies including the use of analogies and language to explain pain to different age groups, and mind-body strategies

Resources for clinicians and patients that you can incorporate into your practice

Using a case study we will explore how you might employ these approaches and strategies with your patients, also considering when referral to additional clinicians is indicated. We will provide an overview of a tertiary paediatric pain clinic and common management pathways, including the structure, participants and outcomes of our day program for adolescents.

Presenters

Meg Pounder & Renee Sandells

Date

30 November 2017

Time

7.00-9.00pm

Registrations close

29 November 2017

Presenter's bio

Meg Pounder

Meg Pounder is the senior Physiotherapist on The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s multidisciplinary Complex Pain Team. She is passionate about integrating education with mind and movement strategies to enable children, adolescents and their families to improve their quality of life and reduce persistent pain. She recently presented the positive outcomes of the team’s day program ‘T.A.M.E Your Pain’ at the 11th International Symposium on Pediatric Pain. Current research she is involved with includes the prevalence of and outcomes for children with hypermobility presenting to paediatric pain clinics and pain education for 8-12 year olds. Her 16 years of paediatric experience includes orthopaedics, neurological rehabilitation and mental health as well as tutoring and lecturing for the University of Sydney.

Renee Sandells

Renee Sandells is the Clinical Psychologist with The Children’s Hospital at Westmead’s Complex Pain Team, and is constantly intrigued by the evolving understanding and management of pain. In this field, Renee has collaborated on a nation-wide outcomes database for paediatric pain, resources for patients, transition tools for clinicians and cognitive behavioural treatment (CBT) education for health professionals. She is currently co-chair of the ACI Pain Management Network Outcomes and Research working group, and teaches paediatric pain management at the University of Sydney. Renee has previous paediatric experience in child and family mental health, brain injury rehabilitation and palliative care.